She-Ra: Princess of Power is an Americananimated series produced in 1985 by Filmation. A spin-off of Filmation's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series, She-Ra was aimed primarily at a young female audience to complement He-Man's popularity with young males. Unlike He-Man, which was based on the Masters of the Universetoy line by Mattel, the creation of She-Ra was a collaboration between Filmation and Mattel. The initial group of characters and premise were created by uncredited writers Larry DiTillio and J. Michael Straczynski for Filmation, while the characters introduced later were designed by Mattel. Mattel provided financial backing for the series, as well as an accompanying toy line. The series premiered in 1985 and was cancelled in 1986, after 2 seasons and 93 episodes. On March 22, 1985, Filmation released an animated film based on the series titled He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword. The film is composed of the first five episodes from the She-Ra television series: "Into Etheria", "Beast Island", "She-Ra Unchained", "Reunions" and "Battle For Bright Moon". A rebooted series, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, premiered on Netflix on November 13, 2018 and concluded on May 15, 2020.
Plot
The series follows the adventures of Princess Adora, Prince Adam/He-Man's twin sister, who leads a group of freedom fighters known as the Great Rebellion in the fight to free Etheria from the tyrannical rule of Hordak and the Evil Horde. With her Sword of Protection, Adora can transform into She-Ra, just as Prince Adam can transform into He-Man. Born on the planet Eternia to Queen Marlena and King Randor, Princess Adora is kidnapped at birth by Hordak and taken to Etheria. There she serves as a mind-controlled Horde Force Captain before He-Man rescues her. After reuniting with her parents on Eternia, She-Ra decides to return to Etheria and lead the Great Rebellion.
Main characters
The Great Rebellion
The Evil Horde
Episodes
The first season of the series ran five days a week, like He-Man. The second season aired Saturday mornings. She-Ra ended in 1986, and the character was not mentioned in the two subsequent He-Man cartoon series.
Cast
Comparison list
Many of the characters/locations/vehicles in the Princess of Power toyline share similarities to the pre-existing Masters of the Universe characters. Comparing She-Ra with He-Man : Characters
The female She-Ra characters were released in the 1980s as part of the Princess of Power toy line, while The Evil Horde were incorporated into Masters of the Universe. In the 2000s, an exclusive She-Ra toy was released for the MOTU 200X line. The later Masters of the Universe Classics toy line features characters from the entire franchise, including new action figures from the She-Ra cartoon series.
Other media
In the DC Comics series Masters of the Universe, the title "Masters of the Universe #8" is a one-shot about She-Ra.
Home releases
BCI Eclipse LLC released all 93 episodes of She-Ra: Princess of Power in 3 volumes on DVD in 2006–2007. Each episode on BCI Ink & Paint’s DVD releases of She-Ra, Princess of Power was uncut, un-edited, digitally remastered and fully restored for optimum audio and video quality and presented in story continuity order. Each volume contains special features including documentaries, character profiles, commentaries, DVD-ROM features, trivia, and photo galleries. In 2009, the releases were discontinued when BCI Eclipse ceased operations. On May 31, 2010, Classic Media announced plans to re-release the series on DVD. On September 28, 2010, they released Season 1, Volume 1 as a 2-disc set featuring 20 episodes. On January 24, 2011, Classic Media released She-Ra: The Princess of Power - The Complete Series. On October 19, 2009, Universal Pictures UK released Season 1, Volume 1 in the UK, exclusively through retailer HMV. In early 2010, other retailers, such as Amazon.co.uk, also began selling the series as a box set. Madman Entertainment released the entire series on DVD in Australia, both in 3 volumes and as a complete series set. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment released all 93 episodes of the original 1985 series of She-Ra: Princess of Power on DVD in Region 1 on October 1, 2019. This release includes "He-Man & She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword" and "He-Man & She-Ra: A Christmas Special".
